Benefits of Green Tea During Pregnancy

Green tea and pregnancy is a tricky subject and we now know that green tea is something of a miracle beverage.

During pregnancy all healthcare providers recommend an overall total abstinence from tea, coffee, nicotine along with other caffeine-carrying substances that can increase the chances of the miscarriage. In such a situation, green tea is the best alternative for regular tea drinkers.

Green tea contains antioxidants found to be beneficial in assisting prevent cancer, weight gain and other medical conditions. But pregnant women should drink green tea moderately only, for there may be some risks related to drinking herbal teas. As with any drink that has caffeine, among the risks reported is neural tube defect, that is a serious birth defect caused by insufficient folate in a woman’s diet before and during pregnancy.

The strain of pregnancy can catch up with you, bringing you insomnia and anxiety. Drinking herbal teas like green tea could be just what you need to soothe the strain, although moderation is the key to enjoying green tea due to its caffeine content. Despite the caffeine, drinking green tea can offer benefits to you while you’re pregnant.

Lower Blood Sugar

Pregnant women are prone to developing diabetes, particularly gestational diabetes. The placenta produces the hormones to help sustain the mother and also the baby during pregnancy. The hormones produced make cells resistant to insulin. The greater hormones a pregnant woman’s body produces, the more it becomes hard for insulin to absorb glucose (blood sugar), leading to elevated blood sugar. Green tea can help control blood sugar within the body. Green tea may help prevent the development of type 1 diabetes and may slow its progression once developed.

Prevent Dental Problems

A correlation between drinking green tea and improved periodontal disease exists, so drinking green tea while pregnant can offer benefits to both you and your fetus. Women with periodontal disease are in higher risk of giving birth to low weight babies on and on into early labor. Drinking single serving of green tea every day may help decrease periodontal disease like gingivitis and inflammation round the teeth. Babies born at a low birth weight under 5 lb. 8 oz. operate a higher risk of post-birth complications, including respiratory distress, vision loss, heart and intestinal problems and bleeding around the brain.

Green Tea During Pregnancy

Lower Cholesterol

As a pregnant woman increases her appetite to sustain her and also the baby, her blood cholesterol can also increase. This can result to a life-threatening preeclampsia, a condition wherein the pregnant woman develops abnormally high blood pressure. Preeclampsia can threaten the lives from the mother and child. Green tea lowers total cholesterol and raises HDL (high-density lipoprotein), also referred to as “good” cholesterol, in both animals and individuals. The Polyphenols found in green tea can help block the intestinal absorption of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol and promote its excretion in the body.

Prevent Anemia

Drinking green tea while you’re pregnant may help you ward off anemia, a condition that strikes approximately 1/3 of women during their last trimester. Anemia, the possible lack of healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout your body, during pregnancy usually is a result of a deficiency in your body’s iron levels — while you are pregnant, your body’s iron stores must satisfy the demands of the increased quantity of blood in your body as well as the blood of your fetus. It will make you feel weak or light-headed making your skin pale, symptoms that can be worrying while you are pregnant. Combating anemia during pregnancy does not require complicated treatment. Pregnant women with anemia experienced significant improvement from the condition with treatment of green tea.